The Gloves
by Lozmasters
Summary: Written for The Houses Competition House: Lions Category: Drabble Word count: 735


The average pair of gloves has a relatively long lifespan, depending on the type of glove, frequency of use, and if the owner treats them with care. But no gloves are as old as The Gloves.

The Gloves have been around so long They had gained sentience. They had been passed down the generations of pureblood wizards until They landed in the hands of one Helga Hufflepuff. It was around the Founding of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when The Gloves gained a mind of Their own. They observed for a couple of years, listening to conversations between The Founders, and watching apprehensively as Hufflepuff yodeled while repotting Venomous Tentacula.

When the drama surrounding Salazar Slytherin's departure had settled, The Gloves finally decided to speak. They scrunched Themselves up, leaping off of Helga's hands and into a compost heap. They focused extremely hard, envisioning a face, and when They smoothed themselves out, they had a pair of eyes. They raised their eyebrows at Helga, and she carefully picked Them up and slipped them back on her hand.

"I knew that snake would run. Snakes always do,." came a voice from The Gloves, a perfect imitation of Helga's voice, in sync with her thumb and forefinger moving apart and coming back together. Helga just passed out.

In the next few years, The Gloves formed a deep bond with Helga. They could be seen chatting with her anywhere and everywhere, and a few cheeky fourth-years spied on the two yodelling together while pruning the Devil's Snare. Their friendship lasted through the years, and although The Gloves refused to speak for a few months after her death, eventually They returned. As the years passed and The Gloves grew more worn, They could still always be found on the hands of the current Hufflepuff Head of House. The Gloves remained an advisor, keeping the morals of Hufflepuff forever sound.

Another task The Gloves gladly took on was comforting the children of their house. When They weren't advising the Head of House, They could be found on a seat in a cozy room located by a tiny door hidden on one wall of the Common Room. On the day of the sorting, first-year Hufflepuffs would be herded into The Room of Gloves for a chat with the house mascot. Their beaming faces after The Chat always put a similar smile on the older students' faces, reminiscing about their own Chat.

One fateful 1st of September brought a young, trembling boy to The Gloves. This young boy had electric blue hair and amber eyes, and this young boy was Teddy Lupin. Teddy was ushered into the room by a Prefect, and he shuffled inside and sat down on the bench. He slipped The Gloves onto his hands, and They began to speak.

"Teddy Lupin. You look just like your mother."

Teddy just looked dubious. "How can I? She could change her appearance whenever she wanted to."

The Gloves were speechless for a moment, but spluttered and carried on with The Chat. "So, how do you feel about-" but Teddy cut Them off.

"Therapy with a manky old pair of gloves? No thanks. Unless you can bring my parents back, there's nothing you can do to help me." He ripped The Gloves off of his hands and stormed out of the room, no longer shaking.

The Prefect beamed at the smirking boy, and showed him to his common room before leading a crestfallen girl into The Room of Gloves.

But as the girl shakily pulled on The Gloves, there was no response. No voice spoke to her, no eyes appeared. She looked questioningly at The Gloves, and just chuckled. Like an old pair of gloves could help prevent her pureblood parents from hating her. She ducked out of The Room, and asked the Prefect what was supposed to happen.

"Did they...did they not speak to you?"

The girl just looked at him as if he was crazy, and sauntered off to her dorm.

Back in The Room, The Gloves were falling apart. The seams were reading, the material withering away. They had failed Their task, failed to make a student feel better. They had failed Their dear friend Helga, and therefore could no longer be trusted to carry her message. When the Prefect walked back into The Room, he was met by an empty stool.

The Gloves were never seen again.


End file.
